Asinara donkey
The Asinara, Italian: Asino dell'Asinara , is a breed of feral donkey indigenous to the island of Asinara, which lies off the north-west coast of Sardinia, Italy, in the province of Sassari. Most of the population is wholly or partly albinistic; the small number of grey donkeys on the island are also considered part of the population, and may be heterozygous carriers of the albino gene. The Asinara is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. It is called ainu, borricu or molenti in Sardinian. There are approximately 120 individuals on the island. Others are in the natural reserve of Porto Conte in the comune of Alghero and at the Istituto di Incremento Ippico at Foresta Burgos, and a few are raised in Tuscany and in Emilia Romagna.
| Life Span | 25-30 years |
| Weight | 180-450 kg |
What to Know Before Buying an Asinara donkey
Finding a responsible Asinara donkey breeder requires more than browsing classified ads or responding to social media posts. The USDA requires any breeder who sells donkeys commercially — especially those selling online or through third-party dealers — to hold a federal license and submit to regular inspections. A legitimate breeder should be willing to provide their USDA license number, invite you to visit their facility, and show you where the animals are housed and socialized.
Before committing to a purchase, ask the breeder for veterinary health records, vaccination documentation, and any genetic testing results relevant to the Asinara donkey. Reputable breeders will also ask you questions in return — about your living situation, experience with animals, and ability to provide long-term care. A breeder who asks no questions and is eager to ship an animal immediately is a significant red flag.
Use the search tool below to check whether any USDA-licensed facilities breeding Asinara donkeys appear in our database. If they do, review their inspection history carefully. Look for patterns of violations, pay attention to severity levels, and compare their compliance grade with other breeders in the same state. This due diligence takes minutes and can save you from supporting a facility with documented animal welfare problems.
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Search our database of USDA-licensed facilities to find inspected breeders and check their compliance history.
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